THE COUNTERFEITERS
(Die Fälscher)
It takes a clever man to make money, it takes a genius to stay alive

Sunday, May 25, 2008, 2:30pm
at the historic Crandell Theatre

Winner of the 2008 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Stefan Ruzowitzky's The Counterfeiters is the first film from Austria to ever receive that prestigious honor. Based on the memoir by Adolf Burger, the film tells the inspiring story of a pre-World War II criminal whose cunning and fiery spirit enable him to overcome deadly odds and survive life in Germany's Sachsenhausen concentration camp.

Before the war, Salomon Sorowitsch (Karl Markovics) was one of the world's most ingenious counterfeiters, until he was finally caught and arrested by Friedrich Herzog (Devid Striesow). Years later, as the Nazi movement is in full swing, the nefariously charming Herzog--now a Nazi leader--recruits Sorowitsch to lead an enormous counterfeiting project called Operation Bernhard.

Placed in a horrific position of moral corruption, Sorowitsch is forced to decide whether or not to save his own life or prevent the Nazis from causing further damage on an even grander scale.

While The Counterfeiters is based on real-life tragedy, it never loses its primary objective as a work of dramatic entertainment. This deft balancing act is what keeps Ruzowitzky's moving tale from becoming too bleak and depressing. The result is a deeply impressive work that addresses a topic not often explored in Holocaust cinema--the dilemma of victims who were forced to act immorally and illegally for the betterment of their captors. 1 hour 38 minutes. Rated R

REVIEWS OF "THE COUNTERFEITERS"

“This dark, absorbing thriller is not just a moral exercise in the awful choices faced by those determined to survive history's worst genocide. It invites us to imagine ourselves in the shoes of a not-quite-lovable rogue.” Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

“Writer-director Stefan Ruzowitzky creates an atmosphere devoid of color or light, in which the desperate need to survive is balanced against the guilt and shame for doing so. But it is the performances that are the most effective.” Duane Dudek, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“A work of entertainment that's also an honest-to-God work of art.” Michael Sragow, Baltimore Sun

“This rarely happens, but I can't find a single negative thing to say about this intriguing, beautifully mounted slice of cinema.” Larry Ratliff, San Antonio Express-News

“It's impossible not to respond to The Counterfeiters and the haunting questions it raises.” Connie Ogle, Miami Herald

“A drama based on true historical events that leaves no conscience unchallenged.” Peter Howell, Toronto Star

“It is a mark of the filmmaking and storytelling intelligence of The Counterfeiters that Ruzowitzky neither pours on the melodrama nor plays coy with the reality of things.” Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

“It won the foreign language Oscar and there is nothing fake or contrived about this astonishing true story about the men in a German concentration camp who fought their own little war for survival.” - Urban Cinefile Critics, Urban Cinefile

AWARDS

WON Best Foreign Language Film of the Year, 2008 Academy Award

WON
Film Award in Gold, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, 2007 German Film Awards

NOMINATED
Golden Berlin Bear, 2007 Berlin International Film Festival

NOMINATED
2007 German Film Awards
• Best Cinematography
• Best Costume Design
• Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
• Best Production Design
• Best Screenplay
• Outstanding Feature Film

State-Of-The-Art Sound System Donated!

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